From the Eyes of a Ghost Dog
by S. Snowflake
Summary: We all know the story of Jack Skellington's Christmas mishap, but was there more behind the tale? Well, Zero certainly thinks so. This story follows our ghostly friend through the story we all know and love from his point of view.
1. Through My Eyes

_Author's Note/Disclaimer: Here's a project that I've been wanting to try for a long time now. This is basically "The Nightmare Before Christmas" told from Zero's point of view. It's my second real shot at first person, so it's still experimental. Let's hope I can get some updates going so that this story is really on its way for December. It's a lot of fun to be writing it. I do not own any of the characters in this story. They are the property of Tim Burton and Touchstone Pictures (or at this point, Disney). Thank you all, and enjoy!_

_*S. Snowflake_

* * *

_**From the Eyes of a Ghost Dog**_

**Chapter One: Through My Eyes**

I haven't taken much interest in stories in the past, since I'm a dog. This will be a change. You see, this isn't just any story, it's my story. I guess it's tough to be bored with the story that way. What? You haven't ever heard a story told by a dog? Well, I think that's pretty sad. We animals have a lot to talk about, especially us dead ones. Oh, so you've never spoken to someone who's dead either? Where are you from anyway? _Valentinestown_?

I'm getting distracted. If I've frightened you, I'm sorry, but I am a ghost dog, and this story is through my eyes. It's about my master, the skeletal Pumpkin King of Halloween, who found another holiday called Christmas, and then he… oh, so _now_ you've heard of my story? Well, you must have heard someone else's version, since you don't seem to remember me.

What's my name? Zero. Ring a bell?

I've gotten distracted again. I'll begin my story, but perhaps it's a bit further back in time than you might know about…

* * *

My master Jack wasn't always the tall, frightening king that people know him to be. Once he was just a little ghoul, barely more frightening than a baby vampire bat. His little, bony body was brittle, and it chattered in the cool fall wind. His skull that now frightens many souls throughout the world was small and round as a pumpkin with huge, wandering eye sockets. I was not much different, maybe a little smaller and furrier. And I remember I was afraid of cats because they were so much bigger than I was.

Anyway, those were sad and happy times we had. They were sad because my master and I were both orphaned and alone with no family. We were loners and wanderers. They were happy times too, because we had each other through all the loneliness. From the moment I met Jack I knew that we were inseparable. We would play games like Hide n' go Shriek and make sounds that go bump in the night together. We were just kids; anything but scary, but it was fun all the same.

"Zero?" Jack asked me one day in the Pumpkin Patch.

I perked up my ears and floated around him a few times to let him know that I was listening. Jack always liked it when I did that.

"Zero?" he asked again, "Have you ever wondered what other places, worlds even, are out there, boy?"

I tried to think about what he said, but I couldn't find the words to say anything. I just stared at my curious little master.

"I mean, there's got to be something out there. Beyond the spiders and bats… and all that, Zero. There's just got to be, right?"

Back then I thought that Jack was just imaginative. I smiled at him, pretending to believe what he said. I didn't like thinking outside the box, but I knew that Jack had peculiar thoughts about those things. He was such a curious, funny fellow in his youth.

Little did either of us know then where our destinies would eventually lead us. What a story was about to unfold!


	2. The Lonely Ones

_**From the Eyes of a Ghost Dog**_

**Chapter Two: Lonely Ones**

Many years passed since that fateful day when Jack and I were young. We were truly good companions through the good and bad times of growing up. I stood by Jack's side through thick and thin all those years, and he grew up to be a hansom, dapper, and terrifying skeleton man. His ghoulish smile could tingle the spine with just a passing glance. His gaping eye sockets looked through and through the soul. His shrieks of terror filled the night with fear and Halloween delights.

Jack could scare with such talent, in fact, that the town declared him their new king. When a horrible (and I mean horrible in the **bad **sense), stranger named Oogie Boogie found out about his coronation, he challenged Jack for the crown, and nearly took over Halloween. Jack emerged victorious in an intense battle of frights and exiled Oogie to a dungeon far beneath Halloweentown where he would remain, never to terrorize the good creatures again. With him as the new protector of Halloween, Jack was more of a king than ever, and for several years, Jack frightened the daylights out of any human he met. He was a star of terror and I was proud of him for it. All of us in Halloweentown were proud of him.

Then, over the years, something began to change. It was a routine year, perfectly good, nothing wrong, but Jack seemed sad and tired about the whole holiday. I didn't notice it right away, but slowly. My old friend, who once was known for his enthusiastic screams, was now weary and bored. It made me worried about him to see that he was in such a state. He was losing that ghoulish glow that I knew so well.

One chilly Halloween, he came to the graveyard. He stopped by my doghouse tombstone and I appeared at his side. I was trying to make my master happy, but he seemed less than amused.

"Oh, what am I to do?" he said, "I'm the king of fright. I'm a master of terror, and there's truly no match for me in the ghoulish slight of hand. I've learned all of the tricks and treats I could ever muster, and I am the best." He smiled with pride when he said this, but then the smile disappeared. "-But that's just it. Year after year, it's the same routine. I've grown so tired of the sound of screams."

I didn't like the way my master was talking. He was looking so alone. I followed him close behind up the spiraled hill that had stood in the graveyard for a thousand years, watching and listening to him, but he didn't seem to notice I was there.

"There's an emptiness inside these bones of mine," he continued. "I feel that there's something out there that's calling for me. It's something mysterious, something I had never known."

Something distracted me. I smelled something… no, someone. It was the smell of fall leaves and flowers. It was like aged perfume, and very feminine. There was a rustle behind a gravestone, a little sound I couldn't miss.

_Who's there?_ I wondered.

But my master went on and I turned away from the sounds and smells.

"Who here would understand what I mean? They would never understand that their king would gladly give up his crown and all of the things he's worked for. I just wish…" He sighed. "Oh, well. Come along, Zero. Let's go for a walk, my friend."

I whined with sympathy for my friend and followed him beyond the hill and into the woods. Just as I was about to head into the tree thicket though, I heard the rustling again. I turned to look and at last saw who had been watching us.

It was the rag doll girl, one of the Doctor's creations. Her chestnut hair was long and lovely and it hung over her shoulders and down her back. Her wide eyes caught the moonlight and I was momentarily stunned by their beauty. Best of all though, her skin was a ghastly mess of stitches and scars. She was a fright to be seen!

I barked to catch Jack's attention, but he was too busy walking deeper into the woods. He turned my yapping aside, and I felt that I had something important to say. I felt ashamed and neglected. It wasn't something I was about to get used to.

What could Jack possibly be missing? What was wrong with his afterlife? Why did he seem so lonely when he had me and all of his friends here? The questions didn't end until much later in our walk. Jack was lonely. The rag doll seemed lonely. Master and girl, master and wife, master and mastress…


	3. The Beginnings

_**From the Eyes of a Ghost Dog**_

**Chapter Three: The Beginnings**

I thought about the girl for many hours in the forest. The little walk was taking up all of the night, and neither Jack or I noticed it. He was busy thinking about the "missing piece" while I was thinking about that rag doll. There had to be a way for Jack and the girl to meet. They had to at least talk, right? It made perfect sense. They could, at the very least, be great friends, but maybe something more with a little change and a push. Yes, it could be done… with my help.

As the night grew deeper, I grew bored just thinking about the girl. I wanted distraction. How bad could that be?

I barked at Jack to play fetch. He was tired and grumpy with me.

"Not now, Zero. I'm not in the mood," he told me.

I barked again. _Come on, Jack. Throw it!_ I was begging.

Jack shook his head. "Alright." Then he reached into his shirt and I heard that sweet sound of a rib dislocating. I knew what that meant. Jack held his rib up in the air over my head.

"Here, boy," he said before tossing the rib into the trees.

If I was alive, I would probably have been panting and drooling. You don't lose your spirit and the feelings of joy and pain when you're dead, you just don't have a few things like the need to breath and saliva. The game of fetch was fun. I sniffed out the rib with my glowing nose. It was like my little guide.

I mouthed my master's rib for a little while longer. We had never gone this far away from Halloween Town. The forest seemed so ancient compared to our world. I wondered if anybody had ever gone this far into the woods. The trees continued on and on forever; swirling, pretty brown stumps reaching for the grey-ish black sky above. It all seemed to be fading into peace. The beginnings…

* * *

Jack yawned as the orange sunlight hit his skull, and I was aware again as well. He muttered something to himself, shaking his bony body awake. I must have dozed off and floated through the trees for the rest of the walk.

"Where are we?" he asked with curiosity. "It's some place new."

I looked around at the trees. There weren't nearly as many here, and they were less knarred. They looked like redwoods, but with all the needles taken off. These were the oldest trees I'd ever seen in my afterlife. What I thought was most peculiar was the silence of it all. In the warm morning mist, there was no movement. The trees had no smell. Owls were nowhere to be heard making their "hoot-hoots". Where was all the life? Where was anything? Were we alone? All I saw were trees and the wide, orange sky.

Then, up ahead, there was a clearing inside a circle of trees. Jack was eager to approach it. He seemed to be happy about this place… this plain, somewhat creepy place. I wanted to go.

_It's not safe, master. Let's turn around,_ I yapped. But my barking wasn't going to stop him. Nothing could stop my master in a million years. He slowly made his way into the circle of trees, looking around at all of it.

"What is this?" he asked as I followed behind. I looked at what he was so astounded. Every tree in this circle had an unusual, colorful door. One was shaped like some kind of ugly vulture with orange feathers. Another was in the shape of a firework. Another was in the shape of a bright, colorful oval. Then there was a pink heart door and a door in the shape of a lumpy leaf. At last, I spotted something familiar, a jack-o-lantern door. I thought of telling Jack to go to that one, but he wasn't looking at Halloween at all. He was staring at the final door. This one was in the shape of a tree with odd colored spots of color all over it. I'd never seen my master so hypnotized by something in all of my afterlife as he was with that door. And then, as quickly as he had spotted the door, he opened it and was staring down into the dark opening of the tree.

He looked back at me and shrugged.

_There's nothing inside there. Great!_ I thought. Then a small breeze picked up from within the tree. Magic! I closed my eyes and resisted the wind that was trying to suck us inside. I heard Jack make a sound of fear before the slam of the door and I opened my eyes. Just as I feared, my master was gone.

_Jack! Jack, are you there? _I yapped. He didn't answer the question and I knew that he had been taken away into wherever the door would lead. I tried to phase through the tree, but even a ghost is no match for ancient magic. All I could do was sit there and wait for something, anything to look up. I lied down at the base of the trunk, whimpering.

_Please, let my master be okay. Please don't let anything happen to him,_ I hoped. _He may be the king of fright, but he's a good soul. I can't let anything bad happen to him. _I waited and waited for him. The minutes became hours and the hours passed by like the movement of clotted blood moving across a vampire's fang. It was one of the most horrible things I've ever had to face. I'd go into the next life if anything ever happened to my master, and I feared that moment was coming soon. I waited longer, before crying myself to sleep…

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when I woke up again. I perked up my ears at the sound of a door creak and footsteps. I smelled my master long before I saw his skull. With a whimper, I flew up and licked his face.

_Where have you been, master?_ I asked in my yaps.

Jack smiled at me. He smelled of peppermints, cinnamon, and pecan pies. I wondered why he smelled so delicious. Come to think of it, he also looked so very happy after disappearing into the door.

"Zero, my friend," he said with a small chuckle of glee, "I've found something incredible!"


	4. The Meeting Night

**_From the Eyes of a Ghost Dog_  
**

**Chapter Four: The Meeting Night**

We returned to Halloween Town from the forest. Jack found a strange, green machine with rotating tracts from that other world in the tree. I wondered whatever it could be used for until he rode the contraption home. He also had a large sack, full strange other-worldly things. I took a peek inside and saw that it was stuffed to the top with a pine tree, little round trinkets with hooks on them, colorful lights on strings, boxes wrapped in paper, oversized socks, and other cheerful prizes. It was so puzzling what exactly he wanted with the stuff, but how was I to object? Jack couldn't understand my barking. And besides, I hadn't seen him so happy about something in years!

Jack called an immediate assembly of Halloween Town to tell everyone what he had found. Our friends were more than overjoyed to hear that Jack had made some kind of discovery. They all cackled darkly about it in whispers that day. I hoped that they would find Jack's trinkets frightening for his sake.

It was later that afternoon that I decided to wander around town, hunting for dog bones or dead things to play with. I met the black cat I despised so much and growled.

She laughed at me, sitting on top of the town gate. "You and your master have been out again, eh? And what exactly have you found?"

I hated that cat and grunted, "None of your business, cat."

She purred darkly. "Come now, Zero. We've been playing this game for a long time. Can't you just call me by my name?"

"-Never!" I yapped.

The cat shook her head and leaped off the wall. "Fine then. I have better people to talk to. Maybe the rag doll is around today…"

As much as I hated that cat, what she said reminded me about that girl. Since I was out and about anyway, I might as well check up on her. I wanted to know more about her now. I used my nose to sniff out her trail, though it was very faint. She didn't walk around much, I guessed. At last, I arrived at the Doctor's Laboratory and phased my way right in. I decided to use my invisibility so that no one would see me. It was rude, and Jack wouldn't approve of such haunting, but I was a double agent now.

The girl was walking down the staircase, looking rather upset. I had to follow her then if I wanted to keep up. She was moving fast!

The girl closed the lab door quietly, probably not to wake the doctor, and treaded outside on her wobbly legs. For all her clumsy flurry, she was lovely. I just hoped that she wasn't as fragile as her body betrayed her to be. I guessed that she was on the run by her nature.

Suddenly, the girl turned sharply. "Wh-who's there?" she muttered.

I kept silent. I couldn't blow my cover yet.

Finally, the girl shrugged and moved on, heading to the Town Hall with everyone else. I let her go at the door. I was too tired to keep chasing after some girl.

When I got back to Jack's house and rested in my basket bed, I began to think again. How had that girl known that I was following her before? I was so quiet about it, and even Jack couldn't tell when I disappeared and reappeared. Had I been clumsy about hiding too? Or was she able to see some things that others could not?

Whatever it was, she was too gorgeous for me to let go. She and Jack were going to be a pair if I had to make them.

* * *

Later that night, Jack opened the door to his room and slammed it shut, waking me. He ignored my presence in the room and threw a Christmas book clear over my head. I have the luxury of being impermeable to most objects as a ghost, but the feeling of being invisible still hurt. I whimpered and floated to my master's side.

_What's wrong?_ I asked him.

Jack turned to me and patted my head. "I'm glad you understand, Zero. They didn't understand anything I told them about Christmasland."

He frowned and I licked his hand to comfort him. Even if I didn't understand all of this Christmas jibber jabber that Jack went on and on about, I would stay at his side.

He looked down at me and asked softly, "Want to help me put up some decorations, boy?"


	5. Love Experiments

_Author's Note: If you know me, you probably know that I don't like to tweak with canon that much, but this chapter is going to probably stretch the time line of "Nightmare" a little more than you might call canon. It's not much of an alteration, but let's just say that Zero is going to directly help a character in the plot. I might do this more than once, so be prepared._

_*S. Snowflake_

* * *

_**From the Eyes of a Ghost Dog**_

**Chapter Five: Love Experiments**

The house quickly transformed into a strange mix of jolly and horror. Jack seemed determined to try to bring this "Christmas spirit" into his home, whoever that was. I had never heard of a haunt called Christmas.

Jack would sit in bed in the latest hours of the night, reading over these new holiday tales that he found interesting. Truth be told, I had no idea what Jack was doing. He was acting a bit strange after the meeting. He was determined to explain his discovery.

The next morning, Jack set out to the doctor's lab. I wanted to follow and see about the rag doll girl, but decided on sleep instead. I had been watching my master for the last few days, and I was still tired. I deserved rest.

After a few hours, Jack came back with his satchel stuffed full of the doctor's equipment. I watched him perform several tricks. He cut a holly berry from its sprig, then place it under one machine before it burst and the machine made a breaking sound. Next, he took the strpied, minty candy he had found and dipped it into boiling water. It turned into a noodle and I got to eat it. Then he took some paper and started cutting madly into it, making a horrifying spider, but he was less than amused that it didn't look like a snowflake. I watched him dissect a child's toy and take out the stuffing like a mad doctor and crush an ornament ball into a beaker where it glowed bright green.

"What does it mean?" he began to mumble.

By then, I was tired of all the observing. I wondered how the girl was doing. With a little thought, I decided 'what the heck?' and carefully phased through the wall. Jack wouldn't notice if I was gone for a little while anyway.

I used my invisibility again to make sure that no one knew I was out and about. Only other ghosts can see invisible things. It's a gift that we have alone, as far as I know. I passed by the musicians and gave them a good old ghostly howl, then proceeded toward the Doctor's lab. Its shape was like a dome on top of a tower with a little lightning rod on top. I always wondered what it would be like to see his creations coming to life on a stormy night while he was at work…

Suddenly, I heard a thud and looked around. What I found was the girl, looking as if she had passed into the next life, lying still on the ground by the base on the laboratory. For a minute, I thought about revealing myself and calling for help, but then she moved. She proceeded to pull herself together and sew up all the ripped seams of her limbs.

_How handy,_ I thought as she began to stand and walk right through me. I followed behind her, still invisible, as she hummed with the musicians' music. She held a basket in her hand with a strange bottle and a fishbone feast. I knew it was a gift, but for who?

That's when she stopped in front of our house.

She looked up at Jack's room and smiled. She seemed so happy to just be there, watching him. Then she scratched her head and appeared to be thinking deeply. It took me a moment to understand that she wanted to get the basket up to Jack.

Without much thought, I became visible again and floated up to her, whining.

"Oh!" she said, less surprised than I thought she'd be, "So _you're_ the one who's been following me around?"

I licked her hand and she laughed.

"You're Jack's dog, aren't you?"

_Yes,_ I barked.

She sighed. "Well, I wanted to give him this basket, but now that I think about it, I just can't go to the door. He won't answer while he's doing all that work."

I thought about it and looked up. There was a hook by the window with a hoisting line on it. I grabbed the rope in my mouth for emphasis.

"Of course!" she said with a smile and patted my head. "Good doggie. Thank you so much! I'm Sally, by the way. I think Jack calls you, um, Uno? No, no, it's Zero, isn't it?"

I smiled with satisfaction. That girl really was charming. She was sweet, bright, and had some abilities that I didn't know about. Maybe she couldn't see me, but she could sense that I had been watching her all along. And best of all, she already seemed to have an interest in my master. As she hoisted the basket up to Jack, I knew I had to disappear and show up in the bedroom again before Jack noticed. Sure enough, just as I got back into my bed, I saw her gift basket tap the window and Jack actually get away from his drawing board to see it.

I know they saw each other. Jack was silent for awhile before opening the bottle and releasing a magic butterfly. She ran off, being shy I guess, but I was still happy. It was a step in the right direction for them both.


	6. Jack's Brilliant Idea

_Author's Note: Here's another update, folks! You've given me some great feedback so far and by reviews, this is definitely my most popular Nightmare tale. We're past the halfway point now, and this chapter has turned out to be one of my favorites. Things should pick up after this, and the pacing will probably get faster. I'm nearing the end of my big LSoH story, and I'm very excited about it too. So, yeah, read and review as always! Free Halloween and Christmas cookies to all!  
_

_*S. Snowflake_

* * *

**_From the Eyes of a Ghost Dog_**

**Chapter Six: Jack's Brilliant Idea**

It was the next day, after Jack had spent two entire days without sleep, that the sun rose and I woke up to the many thumps and bumps of items being strewn around the room. I was particularly stirred when a doll passed through my ghostly body. Jack seemed to be acting like a madman… and more than in the usual tricks and treats fashion!

"What does it mean? What does it mean?" he kept on saying.

I decided to look at an old drawing on a clipboard that the local artist ghoul had made for my master. It was a banner idea, and I liked it, so I decided to take it over to Jack. I thought that maybe Halloween pride could make him feel better, but instead, Jack simply stared at it and got a twistedly jolly grin on his face. He began dancing around a Christmas tree, removing the lights and decorations from it. Then he took the lights and strung them around his antique electric chair, making them glow bright and finally burst from their cores when he hit the switch. It would have all been fun, but the cackling he made was simply terrifying and made me a little worried about his sanity.

"Eureka!" Jack shouted out the window to the townspeople below. "This year, Christmas will be _ours_!"

The wolfman and I howled with glee at his announcement, but there was trouble brewing under the surface of it all…

Soon after, Jack was looking through his Christmas collection for ideas on how to make his Christmas a reality. He made a list and checked off duties that seemed to fit each individual of Halloween Town. He had nearly every job worked out except one, and he kept scratching his skull over it.

"Who's going to make a Sandy Claws outfit?" he asked, pondering. "The witches are better at potions and mgaic than sewing. Who do I know that's good at sewing?"

I thought about it for a while too. Halloween Town wasn't exactly known for its seamtresses. Then I remembered the night when the girl Sally had fallen and put herself back together. Surely she had some skills with a needle and thread.

I told Jack my thoughts in the only way I could, barking out the window at the Doctor's laboratory.

After a few minutes, he got the idea and exclaimed, "Of course! Sally would be perfect for the job."

It was another step forward for those two. The word on the street was that Sally ran away from the doctor. Dr. Finkelstein was looking for her, but she was clever about hiding. Some people thought she was acting like an ungrateful child and wouldn't help her, while others thought she deserved to be free at last. Jack didn't pay attention to the gossip though. He just wanted her for the job.

Soon all the Christmas jobs were put into place, including Sally's, and now the town clock had the words 'Days 'til Christmas' instead of 'Days 'til Halloween'. Bat and pumpkin garland was all over the walls of town by mid-November. Orange lights (usually used for the Harvest Festival), decorated the Hallow-tree and the entrance to the woods, making a sort of tree lighting ritual. There were green wreaths strung around the serpent fountain, and nearly everyone had a sprig of holly or a poinsettia in their hair. It was strange and almost charming at the same time. All our best tricks and treats were pulled out with the new Christmas gifts too. There were spider favors, a man-eating wreath, attack pumpkins, and snake stockings. Somehow I wondered if this was what Christmas had in mind for their holiday. Still, it was fun in the end.

Oogie Boogie's henchmen Lock, Shock, and Barrel were given the task of retrieving the mysterious monster leader Sandy Claws. I growl at the thought. They were, and still are, rotten children. The only reason Jack chose them was because he couldn't think of a way to run Halloween Town and visit Christmas Town himself. I think he was also embarrassed about meeting Mr. Claws in person. Anyway, neither I or my master trusted the children, and they failed in their missions a few times or just got lazy.

Pretty soon though, life was boring for a dog with nothing to do. Jack was so busy that he forgot all about me again. Sometimes I'd just go out to the pet cemetary and play with the other ghost pet. Other times, I'd be at home or visit with citizens of Halloween Town; especially Sally. She liked my company, but didn't seem too happy about her job. Come to think of it, she wasn't very happy with this whole Christmas venture at all.

One day, Jack came into her sewing tent. I happened to be visiting and watched.

"How is the job going?" Jack asked Sally, smiling.

She held up the suit, now with a white trim fastened onto the sleeves, and sighed. "Jack, are you sure this is the right fit for you?"

Jack looked at the outfit then walked over and took the suit from her. "Well, you got the measurements right, didn't you?"

Sally shook her head and reached for the suit. "That's not what I meant by fit, I meant-" Then she stopped. She touched Jack's hand and blushed a rosy purple blush. Jack seemed to be a bit caught off by the touch too, and I watched them with anticipation. Then Sally let go and looked away.

"So… what did you mean by fit?" Jack asked her slowly and handed the suit back.

Sally looked at my master then back at the suit. "It-it fits you fine, Jack. I must not have been thinking too well."

Jack turned around to leave with a goodbye, but I tugged at his sleeve.

_Are you going to kiss her or what?_ I asked in a whine.

"Down, Zero!" he replied, not understanding what I said, "I hope he hasn't been bothering you, Sally."

"Oh, no. Not at all," she answered as my master left. She sighed and looked at me when we were alone.

"I don't know, Zero. Do you think this Christmas idea is the missing piece for Jack?" she asked.

Now I understood what she had meant by fit. I didn't know the answer, but I did know that this wasn't good for either of us. Jack had cast both of us aside. He was on only his own agenda. It wasn't until later when the ultimate betrayal came.

Jack found new pets.

The doctor created them: skeleton reindeer with sharp teeth and menacing antlers. They were horrific and powerful creatures, and Jack loved his "team" from the moment he first saw them. He named them Crasher, Vomit, and Thrasher. I couldn't stand the beasts. They were stupid, and frankly no better for anything other than flying.

"Aren't they great Zero?" Jack asked me one day while feeding the deer special flight feed that spilled right out of their rib cages.

I choked back a growl and gave a yip instead. I couldn't help feeling that I had been replaced.

Feeling alone and helpless, I'd spend most of my days in the graveyard alone. I was starving for attention. You don't know the trials of doghood, the feeling of being cast aside by your best friend, until you become canine. It's a cold, cold feeling, worse than having a watery supper dish or a flea bath. No dog should ever have to endure it.


	7. Things You Can't Change

_**From the Eyes of a Ghost Dog**_

**Chapter Seven: Things You Can't Change**

Christmas Eve came quicker than anyone in Halloween Town was ready for. Everyone was busy working on the finishing touches for Christmas. Sally was working on Jack's suit and those horrid reindeer were pawing the runway, waiting to fly. I was in the back of the crowd when the evil children came back with a bulging black sack that kept grunting and moving inside. Before, they had only suceeded in capturing a giant pink bunny rabbit, this time a rather large man in a red suit and hat popped out of the bag, staring at all of us like we were the foreigners.

"You have hands! You don't have claws at all!" Jack commented while trying to shake the red stranger's hand.

"Where am I?" asked the great old man.

"Surprised, aren't you?" my master said. "You won't have to worry at all about Christmas this year. You're on a vacation. You get to take it easy."

The old man was shocked by what my master said. "There must be a mistake!"

"Make sure that he's comfortable… of course! That's what I'm missing!" Then Jack plucked the stranger's cap off his head and placed it on his own.

I had to admit, that was a little rude. I watched Lock, Shock, and Barrel lead their prisoner bathtub out of the town gate and toward their lair. Whatever they were up to, it wasn't going to be good. Nevertheless, I hated Oogie Boogie as much as Jack, and I had no desire to meet him that day.

I heard Sally's voice from over in her seamstress tent. "This is worse than I thought. Much worse!" She paused, then I saw that look in her eyes that meant she had one of her clever ideas. "I know…"

I started to follow Sally back to the laboratory of all places. I wanted to know what she was going to do to make her go back to her prison, but that's when the black cat crossed my path and I growled.

"What do you want?" I asked angrily.

She chuckled and circled around me in her foul, cat way. "Following my rag doll friend? What business do you have with her now?"

"Nothing," I lied, "-but I do think it's funny that a nice girl like her would call _you_ a friend."

She grunted and flicked her tail in my face. "I've been watching you, Zero. You've been playing-" she hiss-chuckled here, "-_matchmaker_."

"Shut up, Uno!" I barked.

The cat grinned that evil cat grin. "So, finally calling me by my real name? That's a good doggie." I could have tried to bite her tail off there, but I restrained myself. "But really, Zero. What good does it do you? Jack's too busy for anyone but himself. Neither you or Sally can change that."

I was bothered by what she said. She was the voice of my doubts at the moment. "I can try, can't I?" I whimpered.

She shook her head and turned her tail. "Begging for attention is such a dog thing. Be like a cat for once and just let things happen. Take a nap and wait for life's catnip to come along. That's the best you can do." She was about to leave when she turned around to me. "I still wouldn't mind a run. You want to chase me, old friend?"

I was disheartened and looked away. "I wouldn't call you a friend, Uno. And even if I did… I'm not in the mood."

She purred lightly and shrugged. "I'll try to say hi to Sally tonight. She might need it." Then she was off, back into the shadows where she came from.

I went home after that and rested. The cat's words played in my mind as I tried to get some sleep.

"You can't change that… You can't change that…"

* * *

The takeoff party in the town square came right on schedule. Everyone wore their Christmas gear for the occasion and the musicians played "Christmas carols", though they still sounded like ghostly moans to me. I went to support my master and watch him leave. It would only be 24 hours or so before I would see him again, but still I felt like I had to be there… if only to be ignored by him again.

The mayor was giving his speech to our brave leader when I got there. Jack looked like strange a demon in red, but dashing all the same.

"-Your silhouette a dark blot on the moon," the mayor blabbed. "You, who are our pride, you who are our glory, you who have… devastated the souls… of the-living?"

Everyone around me was gawking, but not at the failed speech. I had smelled the mustry smell of moisture long before they had noticed the fog, but it rolled in so fast! In only a few moments, the entire square was covered in a thick, swampy fog. Along with the water, I could also detect a hint of magic in the air. It always has an off odor and taste to it. I wondered what the source of it was.

"We can't take off in this," Jack said with dismay, "The reindeer can't see an inch in front of their noses in this fog!"

With that proclamation, the entire town began to cry over their lost Christmas. My master was, above all the others, heartbroken. All his hopes, plans, and dreams were vanishing with one strange fog spell. I whimpered and thought I'd go sit by him to make him feel better.

_It will be okay, master,_ I barked.

"No, Zero. Down," he said to me in the sleigh and I almost obeyed before he winced at something. "My, what a brilliant nose you have!"

I looked at my noze and realized that it was like a little glowing pumpkin beacon in the fog. I hadn't really noticed this gift until he mentioned it, but I smiled, knowing that I had been noticed. Then I thought about something that would make those reindeer fools cringe with jealousy. I could lead the team!

"Why, the better to light my way, even!" Jack exclaimed, smiling again and getting the same idea. "To the head of the team, Zero!"

I wanted to lick my master's face so badly then, but instead I took my orders and headed to the front of the reindeer. The crowd cheered for me and for Jack's clever idea. We were heroes to them more than ever. I hoped that Sally was watching us.

"We're off!" Jack declared and cracked the whip. The reindeer stiffened and began their trot straight up the ramp for a takeoff. I closed my eyes for a little bit just as we all began to take to the sky and I looked below at our world, wondering where we were bound next.

Jack shouted, "Ho, ho, ha-ha, ho!" and I gave him a responding howl of good cheer. We were a team again, making Christmas.


	8. In the Sky

_**From the Eyes of a Ghost Dog**_

**Chapter Eight: In the Sky**

The thrill of flight and touching the sky is like nothing else in the world. Humans fly around in their airplanes (though they look more like tin cans with wings to me), but it is nothing like tasting that sweet night air high up in the clouds and imagining that you can touch those stars just above your head. The wind may chill your bones, but the rush keeps you so warm. As the Halloween sky faded into the clearer, blue sky of the human world, I felt more alive than I had ever felt.

The first house that we hit was something of a landing disaster. Neither Jack or the reindeer had practiced landing very much, so the sleigh landed with a "boom!" and a "crunch!" of wooden beams breaking beneath. Jack didn't care much about it though. He simply jumped down the chimney and delivered the first presents. The young boy that lived there had woken up, and both he and his parents were surprised to find a shrunken head as a gift. Their screams of what we thought were of joy filled our hearts with the Christmas spirit.

"Merry Christmas!" Jack called to that family and the rest of the world.

And so our flight continued. We delivered Christmas from house to house. A sweet old lady who loved gardening received a man-eating wreath. A snake proved to be talented at stuffing itself with holiday gifts. Two children in need of a fun toy found a vampire teddy bear with very sharp fangs and a killer duck with hand-painted bullet holes to be their new companions. A needy family of bats even found a new home as living Christmas tree decorations. There came shrieks of surprise with nearly every new neighborhood, and Jack only grew happier with the joy he was bringing to the unsuspecting humans.

We took to the skies soon again. We had to fly over a couple of cloud banks. A military base was down below, and they cast their searchlights directly at us. I was all too happy to have the officers' attention, but then they fired a missile right at me and I yelped in fear.

Jack simply yelled down to them, "Careful down there, you almost hit us!" then told me that we had nothing to fear and that I should fly higher into the cloud bank. I had an awful feeling about it somewhere in the pit of my ectoplasm, even though I obeyed as any good dog should. Especially being the reindeers' guide.

All too soon, we cleared that cloud bank and yet another searchlight blinded us. Two more shots rang out. One shot took off a reindeer's head and another went straight through our toys,

"They're _trying _to hit us!" Jack realized. "Zero!" he called out to me.

I feebly whimpered back in my own tongue,_ I don't know what to do either, master!_ I knew that we could not fly any higher or faster. We were trapped.

Another blinding light and another "boom!" of the canon came before the impact of the direct hit rattled throughout the sleigh. I closed my eyes for a moment and when I opened them, I could hear no reindeer behind me and I saw no sleigh or my master. It was only when I looked down below me that I saw Jack and many other charred presents plummeting to the ground.

_Master!_ I cried out in fear.

And then Jack had a look of the upmost sadness on his face as he cried out into the sky, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"


	9. Onto the Battle

_Author's Note: I am sorry for not updating when I planned to, but I was very busy last week and could not get onto writing. There's only one chapter left after this. Not much more to say, so enjoy, folks! And thanks for reviewing!_

_*S. Snowflake_

* * *

_**From the Eyes of a Ghost Dog**_

**Chapter Nine: Onto the Battle**

I floated down to the spot where the sleigh had crash-landed. On the way to the graveyard, I spotted something hanging from a nearby tree: my master's jaw. I took that, hoping that it was not all that was left of him. When I saw him lying still and broken in the arms of a stone angel, I lost all hope and solemnly returned the jaw. I knew if I kept my hopes up and my master passed on into the next life that it would be even more painful.

I remember whining for an answer just before Jack sat up and looked me in the eye for just a moment. He was sad. He was not shocked, just heartbroken. The wrongs he had done (and I as well), had come to a crashing head. Our foolishness aside, humans were so cruel. They destroyed Jack's hopes without a second thought and could have destroyed so much more without even realizing it.

Jack looked a mess even beyond his eyes. The Sandy Claws outfit was in shreds and hung off his body. It made him look as if he were bleeding, or maybe that broken wings were painfully dangling off the sides of the book. The image haunts me to this day.

"What have I done?" Jack asked himself, depressed. "I've been… so blind. How could I not see all these things gone wrong? If only there were a place to hide now, I'd go there. And in a million years they'll find only a plaque. Ahem: 'Here lies poor old Jack.' I never meant for this to happen. If only they could understand… how could they?"

Jack's expression was slightly angry. I only hoped that an anger spell was not about to come on.

"All I ever wanted was to bring them something great! Why does nothing I want ever turn out like it should?" He sat there in a stew for a moment, then something very peculiar happened. I'll never forget that moment. A smile crept up his skull like I hadn't seen in years.

"Well, what the heck? I did my best, didn't I? Why, I even touched the sky tonight, and those people will have some stories to tell now, won't they?" he asked.

I nodded, smiling too.

"Why, Zero, for the first time since I can't even remember, I feel just like my old bony self again. I feel like the Pumpking King that I was… Wait a minute. Was? I _am_ the Pumpkin King!" Then Jack ripped off what remained of his Sandy Claws suit and cackled into the night.

My old master was back!

"Why, I feel inspired! I have so many ideas for next Halloween! Yes, yes, I'll give it all my might! I'll… Uh-oh!"

Jack realized that our adventure wasn't over yet, as did I. I found the stranger's red cap and brought it to him, knowing what was coming next.

"Sandy Claws! I hope there's still time…" Jack said before opening the doors of a nearby tomb and running back into Halloweenland.

I think that I mentioned that I do not like those three children Lock, Shock, and Barrel earlier in my tale. Well, that Christmas Eve was one of those nights that re-enforced my disliking. Jack and I knew that we had to hurry to the trick-or-treaters' treehouse before Christmas was over, but when we heard terrified screams coming from Oogie's lair below the treehouse, we knew that we truly had to hustle. Those three evil children had taken Sandy Claws to Oogie Boogie after all! That could only mean that he was in for certain torture.

_Monster!_ I growled at the bridge above Oogie's lair as I listened to Sandy Claws' pleas from below.

"This can't be happening!" Sandy Claws yelled.

"If only Jack was here," a female voice cried. It took me only a moment to recognize it as Sally's.

"That voice… you have Sally too? That does it, Oogie," Jack said.

_Let me at him! Let me at him!_ I barked.

"Shh!" Jack whispered to me. "It's time I finished what Oogie and I started all those years ago, boy."

My eyes widened. Jack had been merciful in that demon duel for Halloween Town so long ago. It was not in his nature to hurt anyone, just scare the daylights out of them… which he certainly had done to Oogie. I guess it took a threat to his friends to make Jack change Oogie's exile into an execution.

I followed Jack down into the torture lair, and what I sight I saw! That foul burlap and bug creature had Sandy Claws and Sally tied up and lying out on a large board, leaning over a boiling pit of his infamous Snake and Spider Stew. All over was gambling paraphenalia, and the very torture itself was nothing but a gambling game to Oogie. He laughed evilly and rolled a pair of dice.

"I'm feelin' weak… with _hunger_! One more roll of the dice should do the trick!" cackled the deep-voiced demon.

And then he threw the dice, pounded on the table until he got an eleven, then cranked the platform straight down. His two captives slipped, but they did not fall into the stew. It was only when Oogie flipped the board back over and saw my master there did he know that he had been tricked by the master of tricks.

"Hello, Oogie," Jack greeted, smooth but threatening at the same time.

"J-Jack, but you're dead," said the monster. "You must be… _double dead_!"

I forgot to mention what a trickster Oogie Boogie could be. He was quite good at creating nasty traps. Oogie stepped on a big button at that moment, and blades in the shape of King cards' swords flew out to stab at Jack. My master was too quick for that, but there was more in store for him. From wheeling blades to shooting skeletons, Jack battled Oogie's master machine, never giving up or getting distracted.

Get him master! Get him! I barked, watching the battle.

"Jack, look out!" Sally added, which helped Jack avoid a spinning saw blade and land right in front of Oogie. But, of course, the monster had a springboard ready to make his grand escape.

"So long, Jack!" Oogie cried as he ascended out of the lair via contraption. It might have seemed a good plan for the villain, but Jack found a detail that lead to the monster's final demise: a dangling strand of thread from his arm.

"How dare you treat my friends so _shamefully_?" Jack said before tangling the thread into the blade wheels below the machine, which ripped the burlap right off the monster. Oogie was nothing more than creepy crawlies underneath it all.

"Now _look_ what you've done!" Oogie cried out as he fell apart. "My bugs! My bugs! _My buugs_…"

And all too soon, Oogie Boogie was nothing more than bug, snake, and spider stew. Jack had finished the fiend off. Everyone watched with wide, disgusted eyes as the monster was destroyed. All except for Jack. He watched his victory with a stern, focused look on his face. He had all the right to feel victorious after that.

Of course, Jack apologized to the stanger Mr. Claws. He told us that there was still time to fix Christmas after all, much to our relief. I think that Mr. Claws was quite tired of Halloween at that point since he was turning redder than his suit, but he said something just before he left that stuck with Jack.

"The next time you get the urge to take over another holiday, I'd listen to her!" Then he pointed to Sally, who was standing shyly in the corner. "She's the only one who makes sense around this insane asylum!"

_Well, at least someone said it, _I thought. Then something happened that surprised me. My master and Sally talked to each other in a way that they never had before. I turned away from them and listened silently, not wanting to disturb them.

"How did you get down here, Sally?" Jack asked.

She was shy and wrung her hands as she spoke. "I-I wanted to-to…"

"-To help?" finished Jack.

"Well, I couldn't let you just…"

"Sally, I can't believe I never realized-"

But that was the end of that conversation. The mayor had found us, undead and well. Sure, it was good to be back home with our afterlives still ahead of us, but I sometimes wish Jack had just been able to say what he'd planned to say to Sally that night. But now it was off with the battle and onto the reunion!


	10. My Approval

_Author's Note: We're now at the end of this story. I'd like to thank everyone that has reviewed this. Your kind words mean a lot. I was pleasantly surprised by the success of this story and I have you reviewers to thank for that. I wish you a Happy Halloween and a Merry Christmas feeling in your hearts because of this!  
_

_*S. Snowflake._

* * *

_**From the Eyes of a Ghost Dog**_

**Chapter Ten: My Approval**

The town was more excited about our return than we could imagine. They had believed that Jack had gone into the next life when he was shot down from the sky, and so they rejoiced in knowing that their Pumpkin King was back. Jack seemed to be glowing in the feeling of being back in his hometown. These people were his people, after all. They were his family. He was proud to declare to them, "It's great to be home!"

We would have simply cheered at that, but then the mysterious sound of Christmas bells came from overhead, and we all saw the shadow of Mr. Claws on the moon, led by his reindeer team.

"Happy Halloween!" cried the Christmas visitor.

"Merry Christmas!" Jack replied, waving back to the jolly old elf.

Then, something amazing happened. Little white snowflakes began falling from the sky! It tickled my nose with its cold but soft touch and I chuckled at it. The snow was like nothing anyone had ever seen in Halloween Town. Soon, every ghoul and ghost around (no matter how foul or ghastly in appearance) was playing in the snow and asking himself or herself, "What's this? What's this?"

Jack avoided Lock, Shock, and Barrel's snowballs as they raged into childish battle. He observed the fun of many of his other subjects, feeling proud and accomplished. At last, everyone was seeing what he had seen in Christmas all along, and it made him most happy indeed. I remember going to his side and watching the fun too before we heard a sound.

"Careful my precious Jewel," came the Doctor's voice. He was pushed in his wheelchair by a strange creature that looked just like him but with a more feminine body. It only took us a moment to realize that he had made a wife for himself.

Jack was about to congratulate the Doctor when he stopped and looked around. I guess that seeing the Doctor reminded him of Sally, as he instantly wanted to know where she had gone. We spotted her heading out through the town gate, all alone. Jack watched her curiously until she was out of his sight. He put a hand to his chest, where his undead heart was, then looked to me. The town may have just been acquainted to Christmas, but Jack realized that he had just been acquainted to Sally.

Somehow, I felt that I had to give Jack my approval before he went off to court the rag doll girl.

I nodded at him and licked his hand. _Go for it!_

And then Jack walked into the graveyard, completing what the cat might say was my matchmaking mission. I tried to stay away, but I could not resist following him at a distance. I watched Jack and Sally standing atop that ancient spiral hill where our story began, holding hands just before they kissed.

I dare say that I was so happy that I felt as if I could fly to the moon… so I gave it a try. The holidays were all right again. Halloween Town seemed a brighter place than ever before. I was important to my master and he was happy now. All was well with the world; like a shining star in a dark night.

So ends my story of how Jack Skellington found, nearly destroyed, and then helped save Christmas. I hope that it has helped you achieve more clarity on some things that might have happened than that other version you heard. Of course, there was more to our afterlives than what happened that night, but there is not enough time to tell of all of it. I can say that the holidays grew more peaceful with each other after that, and most of us celebrate both our world's traditions as well as the others'. There were some darker times that came after that year involving the return of Oogie Boogie, and my master proved himself a hero therein as well if not more than he had before.

Jack and Sally remained together, as they were always meant to be. Sally became our Pumpkin Queen as well as my mastress not too many years after that Christmas Eve. Other than having that cat move in with her, it has been quite nice having her around. Jack and Sally have talked about having an heir to the Pumpkin King throne, but are still more or less toying with the idea. I personally would not mind a pup around the place, but I'll give them their time to decide on what they want.

And now it is time for this tired dog to get some rest. To you, I wish the best of times and happy holidays. Oh, and do not forget to ask your dog for a story every now and then. He or she might have a great perspective on something too, and all it will take is a simple asking to hear the story they have to tell.

**The End.**


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